Activist Alert 9-15-2016

• David Oaks, founder of Mind Freedom International, tells us there will be a “family-friendly gathering and unscripted show at Kesey Square” 4 to 7 pm Saturday, Sept. 17, to celebrate Ken Kesey’s birthday and 5th anniversary of the start of Occupy. Bring drums. Open mic. Sponsored by the International Association for the Advancement of Creative Maladjustment. FREE.

• Rabbi Ruhi Sophia Motzkin Rubenstein of Temple Beth Israel in Eugene will speak on the topic “Living Gracefully in a Burning World” at the 12th Annual Interfaith Community Breakfast 7:30 am Wednesday, Sept. 12, at the Downtown Athletic Club, corner of 10th and Willamette. Sponsored by Lane Institute of Faith & Education (LIFE). $20-$30 sliding scale. Deadline for purchasing breakfast tickets is Friday, Sept. 16, at First Christian Church, 1166 Oak Street or laneinstitute.org. Or $5 at the door for coffee/tea. More info at 541-344-1425.

• Commemorating the International Day of Peace, the film Paying the Price for Peace: The Story of S. Brian Willson will be shown 6 pm Wednesday, Sept. 21, at the Campbell Center, 155 High Street. The film will be followed by Q&A with Willson. Organizers say that “horrified by his experiences during the Vietnam War, Brian became an activist during Reagan’s proxy wars in Central America, and while attempting to block U.S. arms shipments to the Contras from the Concord Naval Weapons Station in California in 1987 his lower legs were severed by a munitions train that refused to stop.” The feature-length documentary is narrated by Peter Coyote and includes archival footage. Sponsored by Al-Nakba Awareness Project, Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND) and Veterans for Peace. Copies of the DVD and Willson’s book, Blood on the Tracks, will be available. Find the event, Paying the Price for Peace, on Facebook and see a viewpoint on the topic by Jack Dresser of Al-Nakba at eugeneweekly.com. FREE.

• Lane Community College says it is “working to ensure that there is good access to gender non-specific restrooms on all of our campuses.” During the weeks of Sept. 12 and 19, LCC will be removing “Men’s” and “Women’s” signage from all single-use restrooms and replacing those signs with a sign that says, “Single-Use Restroom. This restroom is for everyone.” One multi-stall restroom will be converted into a gender non-specific restroom. A list of Lane’s single-stall and multi-stall gender non-specific restrooms is available at lanecc.edu/facilities.